PVTIME – To advance its solar-storage integration strategy, LONGi has brought its new Suzhou manufacturing site, operated by PotisEdge, into operation with a targeted 50GWh of high-quality capacity.
The 66-acre facility, officially commissioned on 9 October, manufactures containerised energy storage systems, commercial and industrial storage hardware, and power control cabinets. Utility-scale storage assembly lines will deliver an annual capacity of 31 GWh from October, rising to 50GWh by 2027. Commercial and industrial storage lines are on track to produce over 10,000 units by the end of October. The entire project was completed within 11 months of LONGi taking control of PotisEdge, marking a departure from the firm’s traditionally conservative expansion rhythm.
In November 2025, LONGi secured around 62% of PotisEdge’s voting rights via equity transfers, capital increases and voting-right delegation. The handover and administrative formalities were completed two months later, integrating PotisEdge into the LONGi group structure. Despite initial market scepticism, tangible progress in the storage business followed rapidly. In March, LONGi shipped its first batch of 10MWh distributed storage cabinets, before launching its end-to-end LONGi ONE solar-storage integration strategy and corresponding product portfolio the following month. Subsequent contract wins across Europe and Africa have built its global storage order pipeline. The Suzhou site now has the manufacturing capacity to deliver the LONGi ONE strategy.
The global energy storage sector is facing substantial overcapacity. The planned expansion of cell capacity by 2026 exceeds 800GWh, with a projected total capacity close to 2TWh, well above actual global demand. Intense price competition has resulted in some tender bids being made at prices below the cost of production, which creates risks for component quality, testing standards, and after-sales support. Data from the China Electricity Council shows that new energy storage plants frequently underperform against operational benchmarks, with hardware and integration faults causing unplanned outages. The industry needs reliable, quality-guaranteed capacity rather than sheer output volume.
LONGi does not prioritise price-driven competition within the storage sector. Chairman Zhong Baoshen has stated that the company will build deep customer partnerships through technology and services. By the first half of 2026, LONGi’s cumulative storage order book had exceeded 3GWh, with a full-year shipment target of approximately 6GWh, largely scheduled for delivery in the second half of the year. The company’s 2830 Plan involves establishing 30 comprehensive local service hubs across key global solar-storage markets by the end of 2028. These hubs will cover design, handover and full-lifecycle operation.
The Suzhou site marks a critical milestone. The acquisition of PotisEdge, the launch of the LONGi ONE strategy, the expansion of production capacity, the increase in order intake and the growth of global service networks are all progressing in tandem, bringing LONGi’s vision of integrating solar and storage technologies to commercial reality.
